Build/Materials

Polumboâ€™s Peck Slip loft

So, originally I had planned to post pictures showing Randy Polumbo’s Mojave Desert house, but those photos are hard to get, so you’ll just have to settle for a glimpse of his loft in New York. The way Polumbo has repurposed items is pretty inspiring, and it might just renew your faith in eBay and salvage yards.

Here are a few examples that stand out: the stove was found on eBay for $80, the wood-burning hearth is made out of abandoned lockers, the antique cast-iron and sewage-pipe balustrade pictured on the lower right might have once been in a church (to which Polumbo said, “I have a soft spot for ecclesiastical garbage.”), and the dining table is made from an antique workbench surface.

All in all, if any of it strikes a chord with you, you’ll have to check out the article to see more.

Summerhouse Skĺne

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how much paint can change an interior. This renovated farmhouse gets a jolt of bright turquoise to highlight the stairs, bookcase, and door jamb. Also, check out the site for the bright yellowish orange wall/room, which is surprisingly lovely.

Dollahite House

If you’re into the real estate market in Austin, you might be interested to know the Dollahite house is on the market. Featured in Dwell a while back, it’s an excellent example of how a teardown house can be salvaged back to life with impressive results. (Particularly interesting to me is the simple modern landscaping (as shown top right)…mostly how it’s been added to/matured since the first photo was taken.)

Plywood Walls

I’ve been seeing a few modern interiors of late choosing plywood instead of drywall as interior room walls. I’m not sure how cost effective it is, especially considering it all depends on the type of grain you choose, but I do have to say I’m liking the warmth and pattern it gives to a room, especially when contrasted with the dark floor as shown on right.

Loose Fit Experimental Building Materials

Loose Fit is a family of experimental ceramic building materials. Traditional uses of ceramic in construction tend towards the decorative (terra cotta moldings) or the utilitarian (bricks, ceramic roof tiles). By directly engaging with the means and methods of material productionâ€”those both in the space of the computer and on the shop floorâ€”new formal and performative possibilities emerge.

Pervious Pavement

Densely urban environments have the runoff problems due to non-porous pavement–but there is a solution with something called pervious pavement, which actually allows the water to pass through at a very fast rate. If you are laying a new driveway or sidewalks on your property, this could be a good solution.

Green Roofs/Wall Panels

Audrey over at the Dwell Blog wrote a short article about green roofs that’s worth a look. Installation is not as simple as I’m sure we’d all like to believe, but when done right, green roofs can have important economic benefits that add up into one smart investment.

When looking through some of the companies offering green roof systems, there was some impressive photos of Green Wall Panels by G-SKY that had me imagining my second floor patio walls completely covered in greenery. Might be just the thing for those of us who can’t quite commit (or afford) to redo our roofs yet, but still want to scratch that itch of ‘green-ing’ our home a little bit more. Pricing depends on plant selections, wall type, and overall size.

There’s also ELT Living Walls (not shown), which are a bit more accessible (and affordable, starting at $189.00).

planetreuse.com

“Planet Reuse is the world’s first website that connects buyers and seller of reused and reclaimed construction materials and equipment from around the world and allows them to purchase products online.”

Casa Dejardin Hendric

I don’t know anything about this home other than it’s super modern and simple. Especially interesting to see the assembly/building photos…and take a look at the staircase- it’s one whole unit (you can see it in the pre-paint stage in the assembly photos).

Update: Thanks Katelijne for emailing a link to Belgian architect Pierre Hebbelinck’s site where there are more photos and information.

Stained Glass 2″ Luminous Tiles

I recently added some glass mosaic tiles to my kitchen back splash, and the slight reflection of the small squares add such a nice touch. Something to keep in mind if you’re itching to update your own kitchen or bath…

UltraTouch Recycled Cotton Insulation

While this cotton insulation costs twice as much as regular fiberglass insulation, there’s something to be said for being able to install it with your bare hands (there’s been more than enough times where just being in the proximity of fiberglass insulation will make me itch, so I’d be willing to pay a little more for comfort), not to mention all the environmental benefits/credentials.

“Made from cotton fibers recovered from blue jean and other textile manufacturers, UltraTouch insulation offers excellent thermal and acoustical performance. Because it doesn’t contain fiberglass, it wonâ€™t cause itching or skin irritation during installation. It’s formaldehyde- and VOC-free, so offgassing isn’t an issue. The re-used cotton fibers are treated with an EPA-registered fungal inhibitor that offers excellent protection from mold, mildew, fungus and pests, as well as providing outstanding fire-resistance properties.”

Sunset Cabin by Taylor_Smith Architects

Of course the fascination with smaller homes and get-aways continues, mostly due to architects creating cabins just like this. The first sentence quoted below leaves me terribly excited about the future.

“It is a one-room (190 square feet in size), self-contained box that was built by furniture craftsmen in four weeks in a Toronto parking lot and installed on site in 10 days.
Three of the exterior walls are floor-to-ceiling glass and of those, two are encased in horizontal cedar-screens for privacy, shade and light effects inside. One of the cedar screens has a large opening providing a direct view of the sunset from the built-in bed. The rest of the screen has random smaller gaps to allow various vignettes of the surrounding nature and to create fantastic light patterns inside. The slats are positioned so that there is no direct view in from the outside, but at the same time, it the inside feels almost wall-less.”

Sayama Flats by Schemata Architecture Office

Looking through Dezeen I came across theSayama Flats by Schemata Architecture Office. Seeing these photos prompt the discussion of what’s actually necessary to renovate. With the influx of new products, we’re all probably guilty in some way or another of consumerism, itching to rip out the old-but-perfectly-functional sink so that the shiny new one can take its place.

I’ll be the first to admit I constantly want to remake my own home, but there’s something about these photos that pull charm from some decidedly not-cool kitchen units, and I suppose it’s more about a space in flux and the possibilities that exist…whatever it is, it works for me. The super shiny polished floors don’t hurt either. (And, what the heck is up that light fixture over the bed? I want to know who makes it and how much it is.)

“The architects, headed by Jo Nagasaka, partially stripped the flats back to their concrete shell, altering selected elements such as windows, doorways and partitions while leaving some parts such as the kitchen units untouched.” –Dezeen

â€śIn general, Japanese renovation projects are started from removing every old interior and then redesigned it. However, in this project we started to choose what is necessary and what is not from an existing interior space. Because of remaining some of the elements of the interior, we achieved to design a neutral space that motivates young people to create their own life-style.â€ť-Nagasaka (via Dezeen)